The invention relates to a rear view camera system for a motor vehicle, comprising a carrier assembly which is arranged on a movable vehicle component of the motor vehicle, a camera optical system which is coupled in movable fashion with the carrier assembly and a drive unit which is coupled with the camera optical system, designed in such a way that the camera optical system can be moved to a rest position in which it is arranged in a recess of the carrier assembly, and to a recording position in which the camera optical system is able to record a surrounding area of the motor vehicle.
Furthermore, the invention relates to a rear view camera system for motor vehicles. Rear view cameras are used in motor vehicles to provide the driver with an improved view of the area behind the rear end of the motor vehicle. For this purpose, a monitoring device is provided in the driver's cabin of the vehicle and a camera is fixed at the rear section of the vehicle or arranged in such a way that it can be moved between a rest position and a recording position.
In addition, the invention relates to a camera system for a motor vehicle comprising a carrier housing, which is arranged on a movable vehicle component of the motor vehicle, and a camera module, which involves a drive unit and a camera unit with camera optical system, wherein the camera unit can be adjusted within a control range by means of the drive unit.
In general, camera systems and especially rear view cameras on motor vehicles are used for monitoring insufficiently visible areas in the immediate vicinity of the motor vehicle. In particular, camera systems are used to provide the driver with an improved view of the area behind the rear end of the motor vehicle. For this purpose, a monitoring device is provided in the driver's cabin of the vehicle, wherein a camera optical system is fixed at the rear section of the vehicle or arranged in such a way that it can be moved between a rest position and a recording position.
For example, a rear view camera system of the type mentioned above has been disclosed in EP 2 054 572. There the camera is retracted at times behind a vehicle emblem in a covered rest position and can be extended from this rest position to a recording position, wherein it performs a pivoting and translational movement. The camera or camera module of the type mentioned above has a camera optical system, which is coupled in movable fashion with a carrier assembly. The carrier assembly or carrier housing can be mounted in a recess of the car body. A drive unit is coupled with the camera optical system and with a control unit, so that the camera optical system can be adjusted or moved against the carrier assembly with the control of the control unit between a fixed rest position and a fixed recording position. In the above-mentioned example, the carrier assembly or carrier housing is arranged on a movable vehicle component of the motor vehicle, in particular the hatchback of the motor vehicle. When opening the hatchback, the carrier assembly together with the camera optical system is pivoted in relation to the remaining vehicle. Such a camera unit can be active not only when the motor vehicle is moved backwards but also for monitoring the traffic in the rear while driving forward, in order to initiate measures in the event of a rear-end collision, for example, tightening the seat belts. Such modern camera systems are continuously used when driving the motor vehicle. As a result, they are exposed to environmental influences and become soiled in the course of time, thus adversely affecting the reception of the camera optical system. Therefore, measures have been introduced in prior art in which a nozzle system is used for cleaning the camera optical system with water. Such a nozzle system for cleaning results in high production costs and involves the risk that in adverse weather conditions the use of water causes the camera unit to freeze. As a result, the movability of the camera unit is no longer ensured and, therefore, it cannot be used until the ice that had formed is thawed again. Even frost can possible damage the camera unit, which means that the use of water for cleaning the camera optical system is always considered to be critical. In addition, such nozzle systems require that an adequate amount of water is available, which would make it necessary to provide an additional container or to consider enlarging the available container which, in turn, would again increase production costs. Moreover, the driver would hardly want to deal with keeping the water level of an additional container under control, as well as having to refill it periodically.
Such cameras are also used with utility vehicles, especially vehicles with an open loading platform. For example, document US 2009/0040300 describes a camera arrangement for monitoring the rear section of a utility vehicle and the area of the trailer hitch. However, the camera arrangement sticks out from the back of the vehicle and, because of its position, it is exposed to the danger of being damaged when the driver hits an obstacle while driving in reverse.
Furthermore, document U.S. Pat. No. 8,830,317 discloses a camera which is arranged at the tailboard of a pickup truck. In such arrangements, the camera is pivoted when the tailboard is opened and, therefore, records different areas of the environment. This document discloses that the camera has multiple different visual fields which are activated, depending on the condition of the tailboard (open or closed), without moving the camera.
Based on this prior art, the invention has the objective of providing in a structurally simple and cost-effective manner an improved rear view camera system for a motor vehicle, which avoids the problems known from prior art and which can record a large surrounding area in the most variable manner.